CHICAGO—Brandon Bollig has played only three games for the Western Conference champion Chicago Blackhawks in this year's playoffs, but he appears set for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.

At 6-2 and 223 pounds, Bollig would add a physical element to the Chicago lineup. He wasn't about to tip his hand about whether he is in Joel Quenneville's plans—"We'll see," the coach said—but, as could be expected, the 26-year-old would be thrilled to get the call.

"It would mean a lot," Bollig told Sporting News. "It would be very exciting. This is the most exciting time of the year if you're a hockey player, whether you're involved in it or not. It's fun even as a spectator. But to be involved, it would be a lifelong dream come true—not only getting in there, but hopefully hoisting the Cup at the end of the series."

The dream that Bollig had actually involved playing for the St. Louis Blues, as he grew up in Missouri. He started his hockey journey with the USHL's Lincoln Stars, then played two years at St. Lawrence University before joining the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate in Rockford, Ill.

"Once I signed with the Hawks, I got a lot of crap from family and friends," Bollig said. "But it's all in good fun."

Bollig has not recorded a point in 43 regular-season games in the NHL, including last season, but he did have a goal in last year's playoffs. Still, if he is in the lineup on Wednesday, his job is to help counter the Bruins' grit with his own.

"I'd want to go in there and play my game and provide a physical presence," Bollig said. "Whether you're matched up against the fourth line or the first line, you just want to go in there and do your thing and be successful against whoever you play. ... You've got to be ready to play against anyone."